Maturity In To Kill A Mockingbird

The theme I was given for this essay is innocence and maturity. Jem and Scout both mature throughout the book. Both Jem and Scout experience more and are more mature than most children their age. Scout has a much broader vocabulary and better reading skills than kids her age, but she still acts like a kid and believes in things like ghosts, Boo Radley being a monster, and Hot Steams. Jem thought Boo Radley was a monster that feasted on raw squirrels. As they grow up, they become more mature and realize the world isn’t as rainbows and sunshine as it seems. They also mature in not believing in these stories and rumors. In chapter one, page 8, Jem describes Boo as “About six-and-a-half feet tall, judging from his tracks; he dined on raw squirrels

Hot steams are not real, but Jem and Scout are still young, imaginative, and gullible. As the story goes on, we get into the trial. The trial and the follow-up before the trial are where they mature a lot in the story. Scout and Jem witness first-hand the racism and discrimination of blacks throughout the story. On page 172, Atticus tells Jem to go home along with Scout and Dill, but Jem refuses. People were trying to kill Tom Robinson, and they would go through Atticus to do it. He realizes the situation his father is in. He decides not to budge after being told to leave. I see this as a sign of maturity because he has the knowledge and experience to know what is going on where, as Scout did not. During the trial, they see countless acts of racism, and not only that, but they are going through a rape trial. When Tom Robinson approaches the stand, Scout realizes the “subtlety of Tom’s predicament.” Scout knows that Tom would have been killed if he had hit or pushed Mayella, so he ran. She also knows that running is a sure sign of guilt. After believing Boo Radley is a weird monster, Scout finally sees him for the first time at the end of the book. She realizes that he is Boo and is friendly, helpful, and mature to